Trolleys for product movement: types and sizes
What product movement trolleys exist: for EUR pallets, 600×400 containers, platform carts. Typical sizes and load capacities.
Trolleys for product movement are the internal logistics of a plant where a conveyor is not needed or not justified. A well-chosen trolley speeds up inter-workshop moves, while a wrong one breaks staff backs and spoils product. Let us look at trolley types, standard sizes and how to choose for your task.
When a trolley, when a conveyor
A conveyor is justified on a constant flow along a fixed route. A trolley is for where moves are episodic, routes variable and volumes small. Typical trolley tasks: feeding crates from the store, taking finished product to dispatch, moving between sections with no direct conveyor link.
In a real plant both solutions work together. The conveyor holds the line’s main flow, while trolleys cover everything outside it: bringing in, taking out, buffer storage.
Main trolley types
Different designs are used for different tasks:
- Platform cart — a flat platform on wheels for boxes, crates, bags. Universal.
- Pallet truck — for handling loads on EUR pallets, lifts and moves the pallet; a hydraulic lift of 80–120 mm.
- Rack trolley — multi-level, for trays and small containers (bread, confectionery).
- Tub trolley — with a tub vessel for bulk or liquid product, waste.
- Drum trolley — with a cradle for cylindrical containers, often with a tipping mechanism.
For a food workshop all these types are made of AISI 304 stainless steel; the platform is solid or perforated — perforation is needed where wet containers are placed on the trolley and water must drain rather than stagnate.
Standard sizes and load capacities
| Trolley type | Typical platform size | Load capacity | Wheel diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small platform | 600×400 mm | up to 150 kg | 100–125 mm |
| Medium platform | 800×500 mm | up to 300 kg | 125–160 mm |
| Large platform | 1200×800 mm (EUR) | up to 500 kg | 160–200 mm |
| Pallet truck | for 1200×800 mm pallet | 1000–2500 kg | 80 mm rollers |
| Rack trolley | 600×400 mm tray | up to 250 kg | 100–160 mm |
| Tub trolley | volume 80–200 l | up to 200 kg | 125–160 mm |
The platform size is tied to the container. The most common tie is to Euro formats: a 1200×800 mm pallet and a 600×400 mm container. When the trolley matches the container, the product stands stably and does not overhang the edge. Wheel diameter grows with the mass: fitting 100 mm wheels under 500 kg makes no sense — they are overloaded and hard to start from a standstill.
Ergonomics and staff safety
A trolley that is hard to push is not just slow logistics but also occupational back injuries. The force to start a loaded trolley from a standstill depends on the mass, the wheel diameter and the floor condition: for 300 kg on quality 160 mm wheels it is about 12–18 kgf, on cheap 75 mm wheels — twice that. Ergonomic norms recommend keeping the push force within 20–25 kgf, so the mass of a single trolley for manual movement is limited to 250–300 kg. Handle height also matters — optimally 900–1000 mm from the floor, at the operator’s elbow level. Anything lower forces the back to bend. On our trolleys we fit a handle of stainless tube 25–30 mm in diameter, convenient to grip with gloves, and always provide a brake on at least two wheels — an uncontrolled trolley on a slope is dangerous.
How to choose a trolley
Choosing a trolley rests on four questions:
- What to carry. Unit containers, trays, bulk product or drums — these are different designs.
- What mass. We take load capacity with a 25–30% margin over the maximum load.
- What floor surface. Smooth concrete, tiles, thresholds — this determines wheel diameter and material.
- Who handles it. Manual movement limits mass — a loaded trolley should not exceed 250–300 kg for one person.
Engineer’s tip. People most often skimp on wheels, yet it is exactly the wheels that decide whether the trolley is convenient. For a food workshop with a wet floor we choose 125–160 mm wheels with a polyurethane rim and a stainless fork. Cheap small wheels with an open bearing jam on tile joints and seize from water within a couple of months. Wheels are not the part to save on.
Wheels for workshop conditions
Wheels determine the trolley’s whole service life, so they are selected separately and carefully. The rim material is chosen for the floor surface: polyurethane is universal, quiet and withstands wet tiles; polyamide is harder, rolls more easily on concrete but is noisier; rubber is soft, damps impacts but wears faster. The bearing housing type is critical for a food workshop: only a sealed version with a stainless axle. The classic castor scheme — two fixed at the rear and two swivel at the front — gives straight-line travel and controllability. For heavy trolleys from 500 kg we add one extra central wheel of a larger diameter: it takes the main load while the corner wheels only stabilize.
Custom trolleys for production
Standard trolleys cover most tasks, but a specific container or product needs an individual solution. We make trolleys as custom equipment from AISI 304 stainless steel — for specific product dimensions, workbench heights and workshop layout. For bakeries we separately make bread carts with ventilated shelves. Where movement becomes constant and high-volume, we advise switching to conveyors and transporters.
Conclusion
Trolleys for product movement are chosen by load type, mass, floor surface and handling method. Standard sizes are tied to Euro container formats — a 1200×800 pallet and a 600×400 mm container. The key part is wheels suited to workshop conditions. If you need trolleys for your product and layout, get in touch — we will select standard ones or make custom.
